Hunting Shadows: Peter Tobin
The truth about the serial killer who hid in plain sight
by Jane Hamilton
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Pub Date 26 Feb 2026 | Archive Date 31 May 2026
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Description
"It's far more than an eye-opening account of a notorious case. It's a memorial to the victims. It's a personal account of covering a notorious case... Jane Hamilton's book is a highly readable, engrossing and disturbing account of how a monster such as Tobin was able to remain undetected for so long." - Douglas Skelton
Hunting Shadows is a gripping true crime memoir by Jane Hamilton, one of Scotland’s most experienced and well-known crime journalists.
The book chronicles her decades-long career reporting on some of the country’s most harrowing and high-profile criminal cases - with a central focus on the chilling investigation into serial killer Peter Tobin.
Following Tobin’s arrest, she was one of the first journalists to question whether his crimes were more extensive than publicly known. Her reporting uncovered early warning signs and disturbing patterns that would later help prompt Operation Anagram - the nationwide police operation that sought to uncover the full extent of Tobin’s crimes.
She gained unprecedented access to Tobin’s personal world through exclusive interviews with his estranged wife and son - interviews no other journalist secured. Their revelations offered rare insight into Tobin’s double life and helped reveal how a serial killer hid in plain sight.
Hunting Shadows takes readers behind the scenes of major investigations, crime scenes, courtrooms, and newsrooms. It offers a rare inside look at the world of crime journalism, the pressures of reporting under scrutiny, and the responsibility of telling the stories of victims and survivors with truth and integrity.
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Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781917439718 |
| PRICE | £10.99 (GBP) |
Available on NetGalley
Average rating from 4 members
Featured Reviews
Fiona M, Reviewer
Really interesting book about a truly hideous individual. I agree with the author that thankfully things have improved technology wise in that murderers are now more likely to be caught before they go on to become serial killers, but negatively the online true crime content makers only hinder and devalue true investigative journalism,
Tobin lived the life of a drifter using false names and casual jobs to drift around the country making it difficult for police forces to join up the dots of any investigations. The suffering of not just the women he assaulted and murdered, but the poor women who had relationships with him went unreported, I really felt for his wives who had children with them and found it nearly impossible to escape.
An interesting look into not just this case but those of other Scottish assaults and murders, I would certainly recommend this book.
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